...or, how I stopped worrying and learned to love the burn

[bob_summers]

Bof... winter's finally hit
We're having to pay for the mild weather in Dec & Jan I guess...

Tues 31/1
Goizueta OnB
2h20

Easy week, trying to shake the tail end of this cold. Still coughing a lot after a hard effort, so took it easy today. Producing unholy quantities of snot...

Thurs 2/2
Aia loop via Igeldo
2h40
Set off in light, fluffy snow which wasn't settling in the town, but up on the tops the roads were uncleared and very sketchy. 7º below, without factoring in the northerly. Descended at about 2kmh whilst freezing solid, and started the climb to Aia. Snow was getting wetter, my body was seizing up along with the cassette and brakes. One has to wonder if it's worth going out in weather like this ... surely no training benefit? Apart from bragging rights next time I go out with the club, hehe...



Fri 3/2
Aritxulegi Lesaka Bera
3h30
Still freezing but the roads were clear. Lost feeling in fingers only 30mins in, so stopped off at a bike shop to get some heavy duty gloves. Questioning training benefit again... I can't be the only one who climbs like shit when wrapped up in full winter gear? Just sat up and twiddled the hills in the bottom gear. The new gloves were only slightly better; stopped again in Bera for a coffee just to get warm. Plodded home.

Forecast for tomorrow is for vast amounts of rain, temps climbing from 0º in the morning to 10º by the afternoon, thanks to the wind swinging round from the south. So if I time it right, wet but tropically warm (in comparison!)

[bob_summers]

Sun 5/2
Aia-Asteasu-Hernani-Hospitales
2h30

Strong wind from NE but the heavy rain stopped for almost the entire time I was out
Felt a bit less 'rubbish' than the last few days but kept tempo pretty low. Think I'm over the cold, I was producing more manageable qtys of snot!

[Alistar]

Holy hell! That looks, and sounds like miserable biking weather! Damn sketchy on those descents I bet.

Love all that ice caught in and around the brake callipers

Oh well at least you got some decent Winter weather up there finally, even if its come as a bit of a shock. Hopefully it helps freeze the rest of that virus out of your system.
Just hope we get some decent Summer weather down here. Summers nearly over and feels like it hasn't even started

[bob_summers]

Ah there's nothing worse than looking forward to summer and then it doesn't really arrive. I can feel your pain, being from northern England!
Feeling much better but I can't shake the cough. It disappears then I go out riding in the cold and it's back again. It's telling me to take a week off the bike, I suspect...

SO, still in the grips of the "Siberian winter" as they're calling it... (Folk from Siberia might find that amusing!)

Tues 7/2
Zumarraga OnB via N1
4h 115km

This was supposed to be a ride up into the mountains but when I got to Tolosa there was fresh snowfall, temps hovering around 5 below, so I just carried on up the valley, then turned back when I ran out of time. The joys of road training... 60km up and down a main road in the sleet
Christened a new saddle... not sure I like it.

Thurs 9/2
Goizueta OnB
2h50

Sloooow, too cold to get going. I was the only one to turn up at the cafe; more MTFU points in the bag when they find out

Fri 10/2
Zestoa-Lastur-Azkarate-Elgoibar-Deba-N634
5h15, 130km, 2100m

Keen to check out a climb out of Zestoa I'd been told about (15km @ 6% avg but 20% in places). Great, but meant heading up into the snow again. Then after the col I went the wrong way, unwittingly adding another col + 30km to the trip. Totally frozen and busted by the end, even had to stop for Coke (feel dirty and used now) which is when I know I'm in a really bad way!
Blue skies later on - coast road busy with riders doing their gentle LSD while I'm ragging myself stupid on the climbs... at least there were plenty of wheels to suck on the way home.

[soniczip]

it looks you are enjoying winter too

[Alistar]

Impressive riding Bob. Can feel the cold on the top of those Cols from here.

Putting me to shame like usual even in the midst of a "Siberian winter" while I'm complaining of sightly drizzly 15/17 degree days annoyed I'm a bit cold just riding in short sleeves

[bob_summers]

Cheers fellas. I can only dream of drizzle and 15º right now, remember how long the winter is and get out there!
At least another week of cold forecast, although there's rain coming so it might be a touch warmer.

So I've been doing all these base kms and haven't really thought about for what. With no QH to aim for this year, I think I'll prioritise La Pyreneenne, since I did fairly badly in it last year. The route changes every year (well, the direction does, same cols), giving 3 villages each the chance to host the grand depart, I've done two of these, so this year I'll have done them all. And there's the rub; for 2012 they've added a col, with a summit finish on Hautacam. Looking at the profile, I'll be doing well to survive that - not much point in trying to place well!



There are a few others I'll be looking at, with the Lagos de Covadonga clásica serving as a good early test of form, only 110km but with a summit finish.

http://www.cctnavastur.es/imagenes/perfilrecorrido.jpg

Add some of the local 'martxas', Bilbao-Bilbao, Donostia-Baiona, La Indurain, etc, and it's kinda shaping up.
I really like the look of los 10000 del Soplao (10000 gasps!) which comes in MTB, 100, 207 and 315km versions. The MTB version is 162km and 4500m vertical...
With regards 'proper' racing, seems like the only hope there is to enter the MTB Marathon series, no details for that yet.

[bob_summers]

Sun 12/2
Corniche-Ibardin-Irun
3h

Felt some progress today after a while of feeling very mediocre, felt stronger and smoother on the climbs, despite the fact this should have been an easy ride. Got a PB up the Col d'Ibardin in 12m54 without really pushing, just kept a steady cadence. Annoying though, in retrospect I could've pushed a little and got the KOM on Strava Have to pencil in another visit!

And the pic of the new pan as promised. Risotto with roast courgette, mushrooms and spinach, about to go down the hatch in 3... 2... 1....

[downhillingdemon]

^that looks proper tasty!

glad to hear you're feeling better - what do you think the reason is?

[Mr. Cleetus]

Noice pan! Was it worth the trip? oh, and you are a crazy mofo riding in that snow.

[bob_summers]

Cheers DD! It is/was just a particularly tenacious virus I guess, and in hindsight I should've had a week or so of proper rest instead of dragging it out.
I'm about 90% fit now, not wanting to tempt fate here of course!

MrC - usually worth buying stuff like pans in France if you're going anyway, but seen them here cheaper now
Looks tiny there, but that's 4 cyclist-sized servings of risotto!

Tues 14/2
Goizueta OnB
2h20

Off up to the cafe, had planned something longer but it was 4º and bucketing down... bah.. once you're wet, you're wet I suppose. Anyway, more MTFU points as I was the only one in the caf again! And I saw on twitter that Astarloza wimped out and trained in the velodrome, spoilt lazy pros eh

Poor old bike is looking wretched after this shitty weather. I have promised it I will buy a training hack for next winter!

[Alistar]

Yeah looks in the photo like you've cooked a tiny weight watchers meal in a thimble sized dolls pan
Amazing the ability of photo's to completely distort and distroy anything remotely impressive! Jumps, DH,s 30degree ascents and now delicious hearty cyclists meals!

Just joking Bob! I love a good risotto. Looks absolutely delicious, and that pan looks fantastic with nice high sides, especially when you realise there's actually a heap of food in there

Those courses you've got over there totally freak me out! How anyone except pro's even contemplates them is beyond me. Think I'd be in for a long walk to the finishline .
One of the hardest one day NZ roadraces is the K2(190k's) which is about the same length as La Pyreneene but has a hill/ gradient profile like this in comparison. Hmmm...

http://photos1.blogger.com/photoInclude ... rofile.jpg

[bob_summers]

Yeah, I'm beginning to think I'm not well suited for these massive distances - this season will tell but I'm hoping not to have a repeat of the last Pyreneenne where I was going really well until just before the last climb and limped home with a upset stomach and excruciating hotfoot. I don't do well in the heat at all, never mind racing in it for 7 hours. I should move to Belgium and take up CX...

I did the club '100' again today. Knocked about 5m off my last time total (tho' stopped the clock while I fixed a puncture and again when I stopped for a coffee), that could be down to having slightly better weather today as much as anything. That said, I felt faster, and the descent was still very greasy, didn't even break 60kmh today. Best bit today was when I passed two lads at the bottom of the last hill. Bikes were clean, so they hadn't been far. They'd been spinning & chatting, but jumped my wheel as I passed, and was I fuck about to get passed before the top of the hill Didn't get out the saddle, just wound up the pace until I dropped one and the second sat up 50m from the top. Job done, evil cackle...

Thurs 16/2
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
3h35

2h dead to Basa Kabi, PB I think.

[Mr. Cleetus]

Do you have a plan for trying anything different this time for you stomach? @%$#@%$# stomachs.

Have you thought of trying Bonts for your hot spots? They are supposedly pretty good for it since they are wider, etc. Having said that, I picked up a pair for a steal and don't think I am really liking them, but maybe they are just a 1/2 size too big. But no hot spots

[bob_summers]

Heard good things about bont shoes, but before I drop any more dough on shoes I should get my feet looked at again. I don't think it's a hotspot so much as a nerve problem, I've a hunch it's absolutely nothing to do with shoes...

Yeah, %$·%·& stomachs... stupidly I didn't note what I ate last time it got bad, that would've helped. Plain water in the bottles is what I'll try first. Hunches again...